


Gratitude

by Moonsault



Series: Heaven & Hell [6]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Episode Tag, Friendship/Love, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M, Parallels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 07:12:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12812361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonsault/pseuds/Moonsault
Summary: It's the day before Thanksgiving, and on Smackdown both Sami and Kevin are grateful--for different but very similar reasons.





	Gratitude

He saw Kevin jump the barricade, disappear into the crowd, and what Sami felt was _relief_. As he got dragged back into the ring, even as Kofi’s foot connected with his head, he felt a great gust of gratitude go through him: Kevin was safe. Kevin didn’t have to go through this, and he didn’t have to watch Kevin suffer alongside him. He knew where Kevin was going--he was going to find Daniel Bryan and stop him from firing them. He was going to argue and demand and maybe even threaten, and he was going to save their jobs. Xavier slammed him into the mat and Sami went limp, his head ringing, waiting for it to be over. 

Kevin would have crawled back to his feet and taken another swing at them; he was just too badass. Kevin would have fought more and suffered more and Sami wasn’t sure he could bear to see Kevin suffer. So he lay there, hearing the New Day taunting him, and felt so grateful that Kevin was off being brave and facing down Bryan and saving their careers.

_Thank God he’s not here._

_He’s too good. He’s too proud._

_I’ll gladly suffer in his place._

* * *

“ _Please._ ” Kevin heard his voice cracking and shaking; felt the cold concrete of the floor smack into his knees as he went down, pleading. “You can’t--you can’t fire us! Please!” He thought of Sami facing down the New Day, alone in the ring, and felt a fierce, shamed gratitude that Sami wasn’t there. Because Sami would never do this, he would never beg like this to Daniel Bryan, never grovel for their lives. Sami was too fucking brave and stubborn; he’d drag Kevin to his feet and make them stand tall together, refuse to be mortified. And then it would be the armories again, and Kevin would have to watch Sami’s bright fierce spirit wither and fade. Anything but that. He’d do anything. He’d beg on his knees if he had to.

He clasped his hands together, gazing up into Daniel Bryan’s smug cruel face, and felt so grateful that Sami was being brave against the New Day and buying him time to do what he had to do.

_Thank God he’s not here._

_He’s too good. He’s too proud._

_I’ll gladly suffer in his place._


End file.
